ReadingRockets.org Unveils Podcasts

Washington, D.C. (Sept. 19, 2006) – ReadingRockets.org is now offering two new podcast series for parents, teachers, and kids. The Meet the Author series introduces viewers to children's book authors like R. L. Stine through engaging interviews. The In the Classroom series captures master teachers at work, covering research-based techniques for teaching everything from phonemic awareness to comprehension.

"With these new podcasts, our children's book fans can now hear from Eve Bunting and Jack Prelutsky any time they want — and they can take them on the road," said Noel Gunther, executive director of ReadingRockets.org. "We're also very pleased to be able to offer video samples of expert teaching to teachers and parents who may be working with struggling readers."

Reading Rockets.org features new podcasts every week. They can be streamed on ReadingRockets.org or downloaded through iTunes, Google Video, and the Open Media Network. Transcripts of the author interviews, biographies, and booklists are provided to supplement the interviews. In the Classroom podcasts are accompanied by supporting materials, including related articles and techniques on effective teaching.

The following author interviews are currently available as video or audio podcasts:

• Eve Bunting, Fly Away Home
• Bruce Degen, The Magic School Bus
• Nikki Giovanni, Rosa
• Pam Muñoz Ryan, Esperanza Rising
• Seymour Simon, Our Solar System
• Jack Prelutsky, It's Raining Pigs and Noodles
• R.L. Stine, Goosebumps

The In the Classroom series currently includes these videos:

• Print awareness
• The sounds of speech
• Phonemic awareness
• Phonics
• Informal assessment
• Fluency
• Vocabulary
• Spelling
• Writing
• Text comprehension

To find out more about the ReadingRockets.org podcast series, please visit ReadingRockets.org/podcasts.

ReadingRockets.org is a service of public broadcasting station WETA, Washington, D.C., and receives major funding from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. WETA is the third-largest producing station of programming for the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and the flagship public broadcaster in the nation's capital. Reading Rockets recently produced the PBS documentary Reading and the Brain, hosted by actor Henry Winkler, which explores how brain scientists are working to solve the puzzle of why some children struggle to read and others don't. Sharon Percy Rockefeller is president and CEO of WETA.

ReadingRockets.org is one of three award-winning national educational Web sites produced by WETA. ColorinColorado.org is the first major bilingual Web site for parents and educators of English language learners. ColorinColorado.org is funded in part by the American Federation of Teachers and the National Institute for Literacy. LDOnLine.org is the world's leading Web site on learning disabilities. LDOnLine.org is made possible in part by generous support from Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes®.

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